Dry-pipe valve



H. H. Mc C-ARN.

' DRY PIPE VALVE. APPLICATION FILED 0 c.2. 1920.

1,420,269. Patented June 20,1922.

W 6 4/5777 "ml/@4171 1 km HARRY H. ivr oaniv, or SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

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T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARR H. MCCARN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of lVashington,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dry-Pipe Valves; ofwhich the following is a specification.

The present invention consists of a dry pipe valve for use on sprinklersystems of fire alarms and aims primarily to provide a valve of thistype which will be simple of construction and which will positivelyoperate to initiate a flow of water andsound an alarm. f

Another object of the invention is to so construct the valve and valveseat that the pressure of the water will augment retention of the valveon the seat until the pres sure of air in the air chamber has beenreduced to a minimum.

The above and other objects of this invention will be in part describedand inpart understood from the following description of the presentpreferred embodiment of the invention taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

. Fig. 1, is a vertical sectional view of a valve constructed inaccordance with this invention, and

Fig. 2, is a horizontal sectional view thereof taken on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

A valve casing generally designated 3 is provided which may be of anydesired configuration and preferably consists of a lower section l whichhas detachably superimposed thereon an upper section 5. The lowersection 4 has a water inlet opening 6 formed in the bottom thereof,which inlet is provided with a lateral opening 7 which constitutes a.drain. The lower section 4: of thecasing is hollow and constitutes themain portion of the water chamber 8.

The upper section 5 of the valve casing has a vertical partition 9formed therein which extends across the casing and is provided with anoblique opening 10 approximately midway its ends. The partition 9 iscontinued downwardly into the water chamher 8 and is then curvedupwardly into a substantially semicircular shape in crosssection toprovide a channel 11. One side 12 of the upper section 5 constitutes themain air chamber while the compartment on th opposite side of saidpartition comprises an auxiliary air chamber 13. An opening 14Specification of Ilette'rs Patent. Patented June 20, Application filedDecember 2, 1920. Serial Nofl27,7751 i extends from the air chamber 12and, as

shown to advantage in Fig. 1 of the drawing's, is in vertical alignmentwith the open ing 6 of the water chamber. 7 The auxiliary air chamber 13has a lateral opening 15 formed therein which may lead to any-suitablemechanism which may sound an alarm when water passes. ther'ethrough fromthe chamber8. o

A valve unit generally designated 16 is mounted in the casing andconsists of a semicircular arm, the opposite ends of which are of aspherical configuration as indicated at 17. One of said ends depressedinto one face of a valve head 18 hereinafter referred to as theair'va'lve, while theopposite end is depressed into one face of avalve'head 19, the latter being hereinafter referred to as the Watervalve. The air valve 18 is arranged to fit snugly on a valve seat 20,the latter having an annular groove 21 formed therein which communicateswith a bypass 22 which extends through the wall of the upper section ofthe casing. In this way leakage through the valve will be drained ofl.without opening the valve or without interfering with the use of thelatter. A suitable valve seat 23 is provided for thewater valve 19 andconsists of a pair of annular rings, the lower faces of which areenlarged and preferably made of a yieldable material so as to becompressed under pressure of the valve. The rings are spaced to providean annular space which communicates with the opening 15. The valve unit16 further embodies a finger 2 1, one end of which is formed on theinner periphery of the valve arm adjacent the air valve 18. Said fingerextends downwardly into proximity to the valve 18 and then is laterallyoffset and extends downwardly. terminating in a sleeve 25, which isrevolubly mounted upon a shaft 26' which latter extends throughthechannel 11 and is engaged in the opposite walls of the casing 3.

The arcuate arm of the valve unit 16 is mounted for movement through theopening 10 of the partition 9 and is provided with notches 27 which areadapted to be engaged by a pawl 28. One end of the pawl is pivotallymounted in the partition 9 above-the opening 10 while the opposite endis of a right angular configuration and adapted to engage one terminalofany one of the notches 27 in, order to prevent reverse movement of thevalve arm. Consequently, after the valve heads have been unseated itwill be im-.

possible to reseat them until the pawl 28 has been disengaged from thenotch into which it has gravitated.

Upon reference to F ig. 1 0-1 the drawings it will be apparent that theair va1ve18 is appreciably larger than the water valve 19 and the valveso positioned that the water in the chamber 8 will tend, by its ownpressure, to keep the valve seated, even though some of the air shouldbe exhausted from the chamber 12. As is well known in the art, theopening 6 will be placed in communication with a source of water supplyand the opening 14 placed in communication with a sprinkler and a sealof any conventional design. As soon as the seal is broken air will bepermitted to exhaust through the opening 14, which will permit the waterpressure in the chamber 8 to move the valve 18 from its seat, therebycorrespondingly unseating the valve 19 and permitting the water to passthrough the opening 14: to the sprinkler and through the opening 15 tothe alarm mechanism.

It is to be understood that the above described device is illustrativemerely of the principle of my invention and that changes may be made byme in the details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts.

What is claimed is:

A dry pipe valve including a casing equipped with a vertical partitionin its upper end to provide a pair of air compartments, the portion ofthe casing below said partition constituting a water compartment, avalve arm movably arranged through said partition and equipped withvalves on its terminals to close communication through saidcompartments, and a pawl carried by the partition and automaticallyengageable with said valve arm to hold the latter stationary after thevalves have been opened.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

RoLLA L. THORSDALE, HENRIETTA R. MARGUSE.

